Indepth
by voicelord
Summary: She had always been there standing behind him but can she handle the pressure? Will the silent sound of the bells guide her towards her next destination? Ayumu x Hiyono


**Indepth**

_The tingling sound of bells surrounded the empty street._

_The familiar dim lights flickering above her as if an unknown force had drained the life out of it. So very much like her._

_The treacherous beatings of her heart continued to haunt her very existence. It was what sustained and destroyed her._

_It consumed and overwhelmed her inner self; slowly but surely beginning to creep out into the world._

_If he ever found out..._

_Being a resourceful sort of girl, avoiding disadvantageous situations had been a must. But for incomprehensible reasons, she just couldn't walk away._

_Her ultimate weakness…_

_Since that fateful day when her eyes met his - those piercing eyes full of contempt and distrust and yet, still managed to mesmerise her to the point of no return._

_It was inevitable. Even if she had the strength to walk away, she would eventually reside back to she currently stood - aboslutely **nowhere**._

_She could never move forward._

_She could never step back._

_She could never evade to her right or left._

_All she could ever do was stand there, only there and nowhere else._

_It was fulfilling and devastating, knowing that her place would continue to always and **only** be that invisible position._

_Her silent tears welled around the corner of her eyes, threatening to cascade down her frozen cheeks any second._

_...And the bells continued to jingle away obliviously into the night._

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"It's lunchtime and Narumi-san's lunchbox is right here waiting for me!" A distinctive feminine shrill followed soon after the declaration.

With a dissatisfied grunt, the brown-haired teenager allowed the hyperactive girl to steal a substantive portion of his homemade lunch. It was like her stomach was a _bottomless_ pit.

"Stupid girl who has a black hole for a stomach," he mumbled darkly.

And yet, contrary to his disheartening comments; a shimmer of humour lingered in his otherwise stoic eyes.

With a cheeky grin, Hiyono resumed to her respectable place and began madly typing away - munching and humming at the same time.

Ayumu greedily accepted his well-deserved serenity; taking his time to leisurely observe his surroundings.

It was always the same every lunch time. The enthusiastic reporter would commence with another crazy article of hers while the not-so-enthusiastic companion would reluctantly pull out a bento box that was decisively much too large for one person. This would naturally result in a friendly banter coupled with the quick swipings of exquisite delicacies.

Hiyono was still the happy-go-lucky girl who continued to do the most random things. Her pigtails were still there, she still sang those weird songs and she continued to devour whatever was available within her vicinity.

All in all, she was still pretty much the same annoying girl who had stubbornly followed since day one.

But it was undeniable that she alone was - and still is - the main core that held the group together even until now. Her incomprehensible logic, her much-too optimistic ways, her faith in each and every one of them, and her constant smiles; was what sustained and encouraged them to continue in this cold harsh world.

And unknown to the oblivious girl, she was what held _him_ together all these years.

The cautious male never dared to glance back, afraid that the petite girl would disappear right before his very eyes - just like everybody else. He was satisfied with what they had. He was content to know that she would continue to stand firm right behind him. It meant she would always be there for him; following and retrieving his every step. He was able to confidently walk towards his destination - knowing that there was someone trust worthy enough to catch him if he fell.

It didn't seem like much, but it meant the world to him.

_She meant the world to him. _

And he would gladly await the day she chose to be by his side.

The bells glistened in the sunlight, gently reciting its melody as the soft breeze invaded the small classroom.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

_They never succeeded. That was the bottom line._

_The meaningless symptoms of sadness, pain and regret..._

_...She always believed herself strong enough - capable enough - to hold them back._

_If they every did, it was an indication to let go of something so very dear and precious to her._

_And for the first time in her life, warm sensations glistened down her cheeks like a trail of blood. _

_Tears._

_Salty tears._

_Warm salty tears._

_Her well-guarded interior had finally cracked. _

_These unfamiliar tears were living proof and she had to admit defeat. She had always known she would be too weak for this - for him - from the beginning. Her fragile mind couldn't stand the weight of love for too long. She had done all that she could. Her time was up and it was now up to someone stronger would pick up the pieces and continue with the journey she could never complete._

_She only felt a small pang of regret and disappointment for leaving her assigned post. Besides, this would make him happy and that was all she had ever wanted. _

_And now, it was time to allow someone worthy to be by his side. It was time to leave. It was time to say goodbye._

_The tears drops glistened as they fell endlessly to the ground._

_An anguish cry echoing as the bells responded to the slight impact._

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Look, will you stop pacing already?" Kousuke shouted in annoyance. "I'm sure jou-chan is fine!"

Adjusting his glasses, the older male wearily regarded the equally frustrated Ayumu, who was pacing impatiently around the small confined space.

...What he would give to strangle that stuck-up _ass_ of an idiot.

It was a sunny day and the weatherman had promised that tomorrow would be even better (not that you could trust any of them these days; Kousuke added). The entire group was currently situated in a small, but cozy café near the post office. It was like an unspoken ritual for everyone to get together after school in their little gathering place to catch up and talk about the most meaningless things in life.

"You don't know that! What if that stupid girl got kidnapped or something? How would you know?" Ayumu angrily accused the red head. His tightened fists clenching in utter frustration.

She always waited for him after school **no. matter. what.** _She was always there_.

That was the just the way it was. Why couldn't anyone see that?

"Maybe she had other things to take care of. Try to calm down and think logically Ayumu." Ryouko firmly pointed out the plausible explanations that were blatantly obvious. "She _is_ the president of the Tsukiomi's Newspaper Club. Maybe she has to finish other articles or something."

Seriously, that kid was over-reacting and throwing the entire situation out of proportion.

Rio, on the other hand, had her hands folded on her lap - quietly observing her surroundings. It was so plainly obvious why Ayumu was so frustrated with the whole situation. _Ah... young love_. She quoted; all the while trying to refrain from rolling her eyes at the sheer hilarity of it all. He was, after all, being _hysterical_ merely by the fact that a certain bubbly young woman had missed their coffee session for the very first time. Possessiveness didn't even _begin_ to cover it.

Eyes simply had his back leaning against the wall; toying around with a small pocketknife.

Eating just wouldn't be entertaining without the food-devouring monster he had silently enjoyed watching. It never ceased to amaze him how much the petite woman could eat.

Appearances can be surprisingly deceiving.

Each lost in their own thoughts, silence was all that greeted the members as they stared blankly at the door.

...All awaiting the welcoming sound of bells amidst the crowded streets.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was dark in her apartment.

For some bizarre reason, the darkness did nothing to comfort her - at least, not anymore.

The first few days, she could not simply survive _without_ it. It had allowed her to hide away from the accusing glares of the day.

It was so much difficult to make herself invisible under broad daylight.

The transparent moonlight caressed her entire being, as if trying to comfort her broken soul. Her tears continued to fall as her delicate form shook every time an estranged sob escaped her weary lips.

_Why would they not stop?_

Almost like a ritual, she carefully traced along the smooth curve of the bells as they lay silently on the floor. Already several days had passed and yet, it felt like years since that fateful day her tears wouldn't stop pouring down her face. It had been so long since she had seen the others and _him_. Hiyono tried to wipe away the endless flow of tears and heartache. Avoiding them had been the most difficult challenge she had ever had to face. They were all so skilled in what they do but she had also picked up a few pointers during their wild adventures.

She had successfully avoided being caught for a couple of weeks.

But she knew all too well what they were capable of and the question remained; for how long could she continue unseen and unheard?

"You didn't come to lunch," a deep voice echoed across the room.

Gingerly looking through her thick long lashes, she calmly regarded the intruder from her crouched position.

Not trusting herself to speak this very moment; both seemed to simply relish in the feel of being near each other once again. Ignoring the quickened pace of her heart, Hiyono nervously twisted the loosened strands of her sikly long hair. In all truths, she hadn't expected him to find her so soon... No one knew of her residing apartment - not even the school.

As she bit into her lip at the suddenness of it all; strongs hands pulled her instantly to her feet only to have her pushed against the nearest wall.

The bells in her hand echoed angrily at the impact.

Darkened eyes gazed accusingly into her own.

"You didn't wait for me after school." Calloused hands remained firmly wrapped around her small wrists. Escape would be close to impossible.

And all she could do was stare back with eyes wide open - her breath coming out in short gasps. He was close. _He was too close_.

"You weren't there," a wisp of a sound; a quick step forward and his lean body was against hers in an intimate dance.

She was trapped. She was completely trapped between the cold wall and his _warm_ body.

"You weren't there for the past few weeks." As if noticing her tear stains for the very first time - and deciding that it did nothing to accentuate the pretty girl - one of his hands reached to carress the soft contours of her wet skin.

He traced the smooth expanse of her face, wiping away her tears - coaxing her to relax and accept this; **accept. him.**

"I couldn't hear you. I couldn't hear the bells," with a sense of desperation in those final words, he invaded the last remaining gap that separated the two.

...It was the briefest touch of his lips against hers. _The sweetest contact_. A sign of comfort and trust being imprinted between the two. But as his hands slid down the pleasing curves of her soft body and she responded with a quick gasp; almost immediately, he was undone.

Crushing her petite body into his; he attacked those supple lips with his mouth and tongue.

The texture and taste of her lips were unbelievably surreal. He almost trembled as her intoxicating scent invaded his system, threatening to over take everything he had. Nothing and everything made sense at that moment as he attacked her with bruising kisses one after the other. It was only after countless number of exchanges that Ayumu managed to momentarily control his urges in order to take care of the more important matter at hand.

Both were panting excessively, trying to catch their breath as he reluctantly moved away from kiss-swollen lips.

With a shaky exhale, the young teenager managed to lean his forehead lightly against hers - the person he had yearned for so long.

"...I want to know why Hiyono." He questioned; the huskiness in his voice jolting her awake from her stupor.

She opened her eyes steadily, trembling as his gaze continued to be fixated upon her. All her resolutions and her determination instantly dissolved away as she tried to form a single coherent thought.

"I-I can't do this anymore." Burying her face in his chest; she muffled out a response. "I cannot be that person you need, Narumi-san. I have done all that I can - all that I could ever do."

Taking another deep breath, the devastated woman carefully extracted herself from his embrace. "...I left so that someone worthy will take my place. You need someone who _is_-"

She was never able to finish her sentence as Ayumu angrily tore the bells from her weakened grasp; throwing them against the wall.

The impact resulted in an anguish cry as the bells cracked effortlessly. The broken pieces descending carelessly towards the ground.

"Narumi-san! What are you...?" Hiyono screamed, a heart-broken sob escaping her trembling lips.

Taking no heed of the stunned reaction, Ayumu slowly bent down to retrieve something that seemed to resemble a broken part of the bells.

"When did I give you this?" He suddenly asked, as if it was the most natural thing to do in the world.

Unable to awaken from the immediate shock, she stuttered out a reponse. He had, after all, broken her bells. "...Y-You gave them to me as a birthday present, two years ago."

With an unreadable smirk he unclasped his hand; allowing the content to fall into her waiting ones. His eyes never leaving hers as a sharp gasp filled the dark apartment.

Light chocolate eyes greedily identifying the shiny object.

"Madoka-oneesan helped me pick it. It's a promise ring." The young teenager ardently declared. "It's a promise that I made two years ago when I hid it in those bells - that I will _always_ be there for you."

The cool sensation of an intricate silver ring sliding down her fourth finger was all that consumed her - branding her for life.

"I will forever be by your side to cherish and…love you." _And she was heart-broken no more_. "This is my promise to you."

With an ecstatic laughter she was by his side immediately; both teenagers tumbling to the ground as the echoes of delight bounced off the apartment walls.

And even as the moonlight showered the broken pieces of the bells, no sound was needed.


End file.
